Eternity
by xpoisonoustouchx
Summary: Set in the world of Twilight, a vampire, Anne, was living life blissfully until she has an unsuspected visit by the Cullens. When she finds out that they both suffer from the same problems, can they work together - for both side's sake?
1. Chapter 1

**Anne's story**

Chapter one

When realisation hits

It was too late to change my mind now. I had made my choice, and had worked out a plan perfectly. I just hope I would be forgiven one day...

I laughed as I ran through the forest, Vivian by my side. We had just finished hunting, and were now just enjoying time in one another's company. I was laughing purely from joy, and the sound made my eyes shine. We stopped abruptly, and Vivian hugged me, grinning.

"Do you want to visit Geoffrey? I'm sure he would love to see you." I tried to be sympathetic when it came to Geoffrey Wood, but Vivian, I thought, was in the wrong here. Of course, she had a reason to hate him, but he was alone – he didn't deserve this, after saving her life. Vivian had lived 20 years of human life before she was created. She was gifted as a human – doctors called it a rare illness, so she had ignored it. Then, when some superstitious fools had noticed her gift, they called her a witch and threw her in a river to die. Of course, she sunk, and Geoffrey, who was very lonely at the time, stressed from trying to hunt away from the village, but kept in the village by werewolves, had found her. He waited for the villagers to turn their backs, and saved her. He filled the sack with water and rocks so they didn't notice her escape. She was very scared at the time, a stranger he was to her, pulled her into the shadows, and muffled her screaming for three days and finally let her go, earnestly telling her what she had become. Of course, I admired him. At the time, he had been overwhelmed with thirst, and he had stopped himself from killing her in an effort for company. Vivian, on the other hand, saw things from a different perspective. She would have rather died. I respected that, and didn't push her on it. Now though, she was over four hundred and twenty-five years old and grown used to this world. I did not know Geoffrey's age. I presumed he was very old, as his self-control even four hundred and twenty-five years ago was exceptional.

"No, thank you." Vivian said, releasing me. I sighed. She hadn't visited him in years. I was lucky if I could get her to see him once in a decade. Part of it was the fact that I was scared to go alone. My gift was no use in attack, or defence. It was a mere trick. Of course, when I wanted something, it was good to have. We wandered around aimlessly for a few hours, and then decided to get back home. I agreed instantly, savouring the time we had alone together for once. Our house was very remote, far out in Dallas near a forest, and I was very comfortable there. It was only Vivian and I, two best friends, closer than sisters. We relied on each other, though lately, she annoyed me. Her husband, who I thought I had grown used to and civilised, was practically stealing her from me. She didn't put up with our quarrels over her for long. She hated being torn in two like a doll. I sighed and grumbled, but didn't ever push my luck. Will did, though. She didn't ever complain when he wanted something, and I didn't like it. I clung onto her when we got indoors, knowing exactly what she was going to do. She stared back innocently.

"What is it, Anne? I really should be going; I'm meeting Will at his house in five minutes." Her eyes clouded, and a big soppy smile lit her face up. I snorted, and tried to put on a brave face. I envied her a tiny bit; at least she still had a husband. I sighed. I knew that our time together was always limited. Even as a guess, I knew she was going to go back to Will when we got back.

"Please? _Please _can I go with you?" I begged Vivian.

"Sorry Anne, but I want some alone time with Will for once. I'm surprised that he puts up with all of your questions; it drives me insane! I've already spent time with you, so don't start pouting." She giggled, winking at me. I pouted anyway, frowning at her. So that was why she had spent time with me for once, so I didn't have an excuse to grumble at her.

"But I won't ask any questions. I just want to go out. Have you any idea how boring it can get, staying inside and "guarding" the house while you go out and have a good time?" I frowned. I hated it when she did this. She hugged me, trying to be sympathetic.

"Anne, you can't change yourself in the sun. I can." She smiled at me. Her "gift" was changing herself, her skin, her eyes and her hair. _Shape shifter. _I grumbled at her. "Don't cheat! I know how you control my head sometimes, and it won't work." She turned away then, and before I could protest more, she was gone. I grinned despite myself. I was working on morphing my voice when I spoke inside people's heads, my "gift". There for I could tell Vivian in her mind that she should let me go with her, and she wouldn't even know it was me. I sighed, grabbing a random French manuscript from the hundreds of shelves of books. I got comfortable in my chair, and started from the beginning. As I read, I thought about Vivian. She has been my best friend for over fifty years, and we knew each other inside-out. We both loved each other dearly, and we hadn't let each other down ever. We laughed together, joked, cried and annoyed each other sometimes. We were like sisters, unable to separate. I felt so lonely when she wasn't around. Usually I would go back to Paul's place to find some company, but Ruby's problems, Violet's latest handbag and Richard's new car didn't seem very appealing to me right now. I'd just read and think until she got back.

I groaned as I sat up. I had managed to sit through the night reading the French manuscript. How on earth had I got so absorbed in it? _I need a life, _I thought, and grumbled to myself as I moved around. I was always like this is the mornings when Vivian had been out the previous day. I hardly ever got out, and school doesn't count as going out in my world. I wondered what Vivian was up to – at this time in the morning, I would interrupt her thoughts by grumbling good morning to her. Maybe she was already at university, hoping to get a glimpse of what our "schoolmates" would be up to today, what the latest fashion statement was to fit in. I don't see why she cared so much. Still, I had to get to school, late or not. I put the French manuscript carefully back in its rightful place on the shelf, and ran to university. I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder, picking up my books as I ran. I stopped running about a mile away from the school. I couldn't see Vivian. Where the hell was she? Then I heard something. A low murmur...William's voice. So Vivian wasn't here, yet Will was? It didn't make sense. Only a few days ago I thought they were permanently joined at the hip. Paul said it was just temporary first love and all that, which would calm down soon. I didn't know it would calm down this much. They were apart, far apart if I couldn't speak to Vivian. I decided to ask Will. William is Vivian's husband (shortened to Will), so surely he would know. They have been together for at least five years, so they had no secrets. They were truly in love, I could see that much. Or that's what I thought. I'm not the sort of person to ask about love, or relationships. For one, it made me so angry I usually ended up hurting someone or something, and secondly, it's a very sensitive subject to me. No one has dared to ask me about Oscar for at least a decade. I checked no one was looking, and ran to where Will was standing, grabbing his hand and running to the parking lot before anyone noticed.

"Hello, Anne. Where's the fire?" He queried, staring around us. Checking for danger, I assumed.

"There isn't a fire, Will," Yet. "I just wanted to ask you something." He rolled his eyes, clearly thinking I had overreacted to something judging by the way I had pulled him away.

"Look, Anne. I need to get to class. There isn't time for your usual round of twenty questions. Ask me when I'm free, okay?" he sighed. I know I sometimes asked a little too much when I didn't know what one of us was doing (which was very rare), but he didn't need to point it out so often. I grabbed his arm, though I knew that even my inhuman strength would be no match for his. My arm went numb after a few seconds. That was Will's gift. He could do whatever he wanted to harm any part of you that touched him when he didn't want you to. He could have sent an electric shock through it, but I guess he didn't have the patience to concentrate for it. I folded my arms across my chest with a huff.

"It won't take long, just one question." I didn't give him a chance to answer. "I haven't seen or heard Vivian since last night. And she either she isn't thinking of anything at all, or away from my hearing range. If you know where she is, tell me now. Or I will quite gladly make your life worse than it already is." I stared at him, waiting for an answer.

"That's a threat, not a question." He replied, turning away from me. I yelled into his troubled thoughts.

_WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?! _I wished I could read thoughts, not enter them. But it's the best I could do. His hands gripped my shoulders. He was trying to calm himself, but it wasn't working. He glared at me darkly. My shoulders were screaming in pain as he sent fire through them with his anger. I concentrated only on his answer.

"Vivian is away from your hearing range, as you put it. She didn't want you to know, as she will only be away for a few days. Now get out of my sight." He pushed me into a wall, the bricks breaking as I hit it, and stalked away with his hands balled into fists. I sighed, and another million questions burned inside me. The part that bothered my subconscious part of me most was wondering what she was doing. She hardly ever left Williams side, and he had never left hers. They were loyal to each other, faithful. They were in love with each other. I could see it in their eyes when they looked at each other. I remember feeling that way. I sighed again. I had to remind Will to be careful, just in case.

_I'm sorry. Don't do anything stupid at university. Explain everything later. Please, for me._

I decided to visit the forest, to clear my head. The more my emotions chewed at me, the less chance I had of thinking straight. I hated it when I was like this. I usually tried to hide it from anyone, but I broke down so often now that I gave up trying to keep it a secret. My throat burned with the fight to cry, and I couldn't breathe. I hadn't cried in over 10 years. I wasn't going to start now. It's not the tears that matter; it's the sobbing, knowing you're crying. It scares me, because then I lose control completely. At least now I have some control over what I was doing. I could feel the pain, but that meant I wasn't numb yet. That was a good thing. The numbness always meant pain afterward.

As I was running, another question joined the feast of me with the others. What if – no, I wouldn't let myself go back down that road. "What if" is what got me like this is the first place. I shouldn't lose control because I'm not an ordinary human. It would hurt too many people if I decided to lose what little control I had over myself. I don't even call myself a being. I'm much, much worse. I'm the core of your nightmares; I'm the reason behind children crying in the night. I'm the most hated creature on earth, and the most powerful. I'd tried everything – from pretending I was normal, that everything was the same as it was before I was made into this monster, to giving in to my instincts and killing everyone in sight. For a few years now, I'd attained a healthy balance. I acted normal, but I didn't try to pretend I was when I was alone. But I still wished I was human. That everything was normal. I could enjoy university, get a job, not forever stuck at eighteen, make friends, have a nice boyfriend, and have my own family... Vivian helped when I was losing control. I felt hysteria bubbling up in my chest; I had to get away. I ran, as fast as I could, deep into the heart of the forest.

"Oscar," I whispered, as I sunk to my knees, "Come back." I knew this wasn't possible, but I said it every time I got like this. _It's lame_, I told myself. I remembered him holding me recklessly close when I cried, never once telling me to get a grip. He let me loose in a safe place when I angered, never once telling me that I should calm down. He believed whatever I kept locked inside would once come out; he was right. I felt all my past guilt over the 24 years build up, all the lies, the broken promises...and the pain that overpowered it all; him. Oscar let me be who I was. I didn't have to pretend around him. I thought he loved me, as I loved him. But he didn't. My heart yearned for him, for his company, his love.

No, not _his_ love – any love. Any end to this hatred, this emptiness.

When I was first created, 286 years ago now, Oscar helped me. My creator, Paul, wanted to save us all. I was part of a rebellious mob, defending against the cruel times of slaves. At the same time, thousands of new vampires were also created. Millions of investors in the money that was earned with slavery started killing those who rebelled. I was part of a group of 108; all of whom were the same age as me, 16 years to 20. Paul helped thirty of us; we were the ones most likely to survive. Twenty six of them, once they found out what Paul had done, had left us. Paul let them go, once he was sure that they were fully aware of how things worked. Oscar was already eighty six years old when he found me; he was captured and half-dead when he was created. Some vampires were hunting a group of men when the werewolves moved into the area, trying to protect them, and Oscar was half-finished. They had left him to die – they didn't care much what happened to him – and fled. What they didn't know was that they had just created another enemy. An enemy with as much power as them, maybe more...In the end, he got revenge. When he met me, our lives changed, instantly. 24 years ago now – I will never forget – he left me. Saying he needed to find his own clan, people like him. He wondered why I didn't search to find the people I was with at first the minute I knew I could control myself, but that had an easy answer. I wanted to stay with him. There was nothing I could do to stop him, not the begging, the guilt, the lies...I even considered leaving Vivian to go with him. He said if I went, they would reject me. I wasn't with him when he was created. He called them his brothers and sisters – even though they are strangers to him, and might not exist. I try hard most of the time now to avoid thinking about him, but nothing could stop me when I was upset. I remembered his last words; "Don't try to find me." And then he lifted his head, like someone was calling his name. Then he disappeared. I was crushed for weeks, I spent every day and night searching, until I realised that it's exactly what he didn't want me to do. I simply curled up then, and wanted to die. I repeat the same actions whenever I get like this, arms wrapped around my knees, mumbling his name while unshed tears burned my throat. Then realisation hit. He had disappeared just like Vivian had done, but had said goodbye first. I couldn't interrupt his thoughts, to beg him to come back, to talk to him, like I can't interrupt Vivian's. William had seemed in such a bad mood; probably missing Vivian. I'm sure if he was worried, he would have asked me by now to see if I could talk to her. He must have had some warning...But of what? I screamed in frustration, birds flying away and animals fleeing as I did so. I was scared; I'd left this feeling unused for so long, it felt a thousand times worse. It was the same with my new heartache. It scratched at my chest, my cheeks, my throat, until I felt empty. I felt numb, like I had just been injected with aesthetic but it wasn't making me sleepy yet. I was making rash decisions, false accusations, Vivian would have no reason to leave me after all this time, and if she had left Will too, that didn't make sense. They were still together; I could tell by the ring he had placed proudly on his finger. I fell down from my knees onto my face, unable to move. No thoughts came to mind, no heartache, and no more pain. I was surprised at my sudden mood changes, so quick, yet so painful. I had to keep control. I had for the last twenty four years. I imagined what it would be like now if Oscar was still here; I would be laughing with him, with Vivian, Will and my clan. We could be happy, together, and still alive. I would hold his hand always, and he would never object because he liked it. We would have every night together, nothing to stop us. No danger. We would be immortal together, enjoying every second. That's impossible, but I imagined it every second of the day, when I was sad, when I was angry, and when heartache did extra damage to me. I didn't know how there could be any more pain; the numbness took over. _Maybe I've reached my limit,_ I thought to myself. _Maybe there's no more to rip apart, to tear, to damage, to kill..._

I let myself think of everything; not sparing my own feelings. I had to make use of this numbness, to use it while I could. So Vivian has left for a few days? It didn't seem like it to me. That's what Oscar said before he came back and told me he wanted to leave me. I had time to prepare for it, he said. He told me that it was against the original plan, but it wouldn't make things any more difficult. I wonder what he meant by that. His last words "Don't try to find Me." were ringing in my ears, lashing at me, trying to break the numbness. It was like I was sleeping, but with my eyes open and scared. I was lonely, but I could handle it. My heartache I could control; my hunger for him, my yearning, my emptiness, my pain is what I could not handle. It tipped me over the edge, and I let the burning take over. I let hysteria take me over. Everything was a blur, and I didn't care anymore. I just didn't care. It crushed me.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two

Familiar sounds

My head snapped up like I had just woken from a dream. I was trying to sort my head out, to block out the pain, though it wasn't there. I knew the numbness wouldn't last long; I had been through this so many times. What on earth is Vivian doing? Why was Will so locked up? I noticed someone's thoughts; not human, vampire. I had the strange feeling like I knew them vaguely, recognised them. I ran around the forest, as I had done a thousand times, and it felt like déjà vu. I tried to figure out who it was, but I had no clue. Just as quickly as I heard it, the thoughts stopped. I was so interested in that feeling that I knew that vampire that I not thought to tell him/her I was there. It could have been an old friend, someone lost. One thing I was not prepared for was the pain. It felt like the anaesthetic had just stopped working, like someone had thrown tons of weight into my chest and ripped my chest out at the same time. I couldn't breathe, though I was sure I wasn't hurt.

"You're making yourself like this, Anne. You need to think your way out of this. Believe that this can get better, because you know it will. Trust me, Anne. No one can bear to see you like this. We love you." Vivian had said that once, a few weeks after Oscar had left me. I was crippled, like someone had stolen something from me, a limb...no, my heart. My heart was stolen, gone away with Oscar forever. She hugged me, never gave up helping me when I slipped back into misery, sure that the numbness would help.

That's it.

_That's it!_

The numbness, the pain... It was him. I'm sure it was. I knew it was familiar, gorgeous scent which covered the air around him where he walked, the way he changed his thoughts every so often (not that I could hear them, but I could read the mood in which his thoughts were to make it more noticeable when I interrupted them. It was helpful sometimes), like trying to creep on stairs that kept creaking...I ran as fast as I could to follow the scent which was now literally dead. I tried my best, but after countless attempts, it was gone. Why didn't I enter his thoughts then? Why? I could have told him I was there; he would have come running...No he wouldn't. I had forgotten he didn't want me. He wanted his brothers and sisters. That's who he was with now. I needed to concentrate on that. Yet I felt empty again. So many things happening in one day...or how long had I been here? Quite a while, I figured. I needed to see Will again. To see _exactly _what Vivian had said before she left. I needed to know...

I ran to university. It was closed, and I checked the clock inside. It said 3am. William would be at home now, surely. He would need to guard his house at this time in the morning, after all... I ran to Will's house, about 8 miles south. I flew open the door impatiently, and scanned the house in an attempt to find him. He was in the kitchen, staring at a letter a little obsessively. His thoughts were troubled. He heard my approach, and slowly lifted his head to look at me, his lips in a tight line, his face strained. That was nothing compared to his eyes. He looked like he was in agony, like he was being stabbed repeatedly, but had grown so numb to the sharp pains he stopped flinching. It reminded me of someone in a picture I had seen once, a poor girl, so...empty. Like there wasn't a reason to live. I managed to keep my face blank as I realised in my head. He looked like me. Exactly like me, when I was out of control. I got distracted by this for a few long seconds, staring at his agonized face. Eventually, he managed to keep himself in control enough to speak.

"Hey." He managed to whisper.

"Will, I –" I started, speaking urgently.

"I know. I heard everything. I saw him." He let his eyes drift to the window when he spoke, unable to meet my eyes.

"What? When? Why didn't he wait for me? What was he –" I stopped myself. He wasn't here for me, obviously. Something had to be wrong though, but wouldn't he have stayed if he needed help? I started to worry. What had happened? Why wasn't he here now? Where was Vivian? I'm sure it had been more than a few days now, if I had stayed in the forest that long. Why didn't Will look for me? The pain I had been able to control before I came here after many tries had returned, and I clawed at my chest, falling to the floor like someone had shot me right in the heart. How could it still hurt after all this time? How did I still remain? Surely there was nothing left; he had taken it all...

Will walked slowly toward me, and hugged me.

"I'm sorry Anne, he didn't stay long. He came to tell me about Vivian." He flinched then, and his voice broke on the last word. I hugged him just as tight, trying to read his face, his tone of voice, and his thoughts. I was in such a state I couldn't remember how to do anything, and almost fell when he let go of me. I picked myself up, trying to grasp whatever defence I still had in my heart against everything to remain upright, keeping in the conversation. "What – what did he say?" I stammered. I corrected myself automatically. He didn't _say _things, oh no. He whispered things, in a soft voice, like butterfly wings that made me so happy, ever so happy...

"Vivian wants to leave, search for her sisters and brothers...or that's what he called them. I remember her saying she couldn't take me with her, because –" I knew this part too well to let him finish.

"Because they would reject you – you weren't there when they were created." I whispered so softly that if Will were human, he wouldn't be able to hear. Shock crossed his face. Then he sat cross-legged on the floor, staring at me. I was calculating things in my head. Vivian didn't have any _brothers or sisters, _because she was alone when she was created. I kept my face smooth, unreadable. So it was all just a lie; a pitiful, unconvincing lie.

"It wasn't her speaking. It wasn't him speaking yesterday, either. I'm certain. No one could cause that much pain to someone without an explanation. Her eyes were dead when I last spoke to her, like they were frozen..." Was it really yesterday I had noticed him in the forest? It seemed like seconds ago. He seemed relieved that he was sure about this. "It's something else – something controlling them. They wouldn't say the _exact_ same words if they were themselves...I mean, Vivian would say sorry..." He trailed off, rocking silently.

"You don't know how much Vivian might want this. She might be so obsessed with what she wants, she wouldn't spare a thought for you," I contradicted, stung. He didn't know Vivian better than I did. No-one knew Vivian better than I did. But still, I hadn't ever seen this side of William before. He had always seemed like a very decent, sincere person. Yet he was lying. I could tell, by the way his face twisted, unsure of even himself. He looked at Vivian like she was the purest gold he had ever seen. Like a diamond, and vice-versa. He seemed so wobbly, like a child taking its first steps. He was concentrating, concentrating hard on what he was saying. I could feel it in his thoughts, his frustration, the way he frowned in a certain way...it was like...he was dying, dying inside. I tried to keep my voice steady while I argued. I knew he was right, I had proof, but somehow I couldn't bear the thought of him working with me to get them back. I would work alone – keep him here to make sure the others were safe.

"You don't know that for sure. You _can't _know that for sure. His thoughts were very different in the forest, I can say that much. I could barely read them. But you can't see into his head. You can't prove it wasn't him and something else. And Vivian seemed fine to me. Maybe they both just want the same thing, and Oscar gave her a few lines." I whispered, my voice breaking in weird places. I was trying too hard. I would have to concentrate on happy things, happy things...

"No. Trust me on this. They weren't speaking properly when they spoke. They were machines." He told me, closing his eyes. I couldn't trust Will. I couldn't trust anyone. My best friend, of whom I had trusted with all my soul, had just taken advantage of that. What was left? – Nothing.

"But what can we possibly do, if that's the case? It's been 24 years for Oscar, if he's been possessed for this long like you say, I'm not sure he would –" I wouldn't let myself think that. There's always hope, There's always hope, I began chanting to myself in my head. There's always hope...

"Maybe...if we find what it is, we can plan from there...but Anne. You know that if we find that it's, well...too late," There's always hope, there's always hope... "Then we have to do whatever we can to escape. It won't be about Oscar, or Vivian, if they are past help. It will be about the next people to be killed by whatever it is. You can't sacrifice yourself if it's too late. We have to think ahead. How many lives will be ruined if we decide to take our feelings into the matter?" He stopped to look at me, his face cautious. I kept my face blank, unreadable. He pursed his lips. _There's no hope, _my painful side started singing. It was like it enjoyed being ripped apart. I winced, trying to compose myself without much luck. I almost growled in focus. _There's no hope, no hope, oh, there's no hope. _

"I want you to promise me that you will help even if Oscar is...it's too late. You have to prepare yourself for this." He rubbed his hand against my arm.

"You might not be right – how are you so sure? You've only just suggested it. It could be anything!" I started panicking, and I dug my nails into the floor.

"I've been thinking about it since she said it. She looked at me almost like a robot, designed to say those words, and then she...vanished. I felt nothing but disbelief the next day. When you noticed she was gone, I thought it over in my head the whole time, and it turns out to have some proof. If Oscar said the exact same thing, then Vivian surely wouldn't have said it. She would have known it would upset you. When she looked at me the last time, I saw nothing but deadness. Anne, something isn't right."

_I know that, Will. I've noticed it over the past few weeks. Something hideous is doing this. We don't have a chance. But maybe that's good. I give up with it all, trying to live another day, trying to last, while this pain is eating me. Will, I don't know how long I can take this. It's killing me. If this doesn't kill me, then something else will. And I'm prepared for this; I would rather this kill me. At least then I know what happened. Hell doesn't seem that bad now. It's an answer to this pain. I know I don't deserve to see him in heaven, but it will stop the pain. Like aspirin. It seems like such a good option. There's no other option, that's why. Will, tell me the other option if there is one; One without pain, without love, without a dead end. There is no other option. I need to end this._

"No." He whispered. "You've lasted this long, Anne. You can still go on. You need to. What would Paul say, and Ruby? What would Violet say, and Richard? Imagine them there at your funeral..." He said, looking at me with concern.

_I can't go on. I can't even speak, Will. It hurts too much, he's taken everything. He's taken my heart, my soul, my mind and my actions. Nothing that I do helps with this pain. It's all controlled by him. I'm possessed, but not dead yet. It hurts too much, Will. It hurts..._

"Then don't do it for him. Do it for the people that will be next in line, the next to suffer. Let your anger decide, Anne, and tell me then you want to stop this. You can't let them die, and let it carry on. I won't succeed alone. I need you with me."

He stared at me for a long time. But the thing was, I had already decided, really. I would do everything, absolutely everything in my power to help the next to suffer...that's all I could bring myself to do now. We sat in silence, and when the sun started to rise, we watched it. William closed his eyes, and his thoughts were planning. He was very sure of it now, and he wasn't going to change his mind. I, however, had a lot more thinking to do. I wasn't the type of person to leave things half-finished, but I never made a decision final. I had to get someone to do that for me – Anyone. I fought with myself, wondering when to speak, but whenever I took a breath my stomach flipped and knotted and I stopped mid-breath. I was angry, but I was scared. I was scared, but I was focused. I was mixed up, so unsure, yet sure of some things. I decided to say what I thought out loud, in an effort to clear my head.

"This isn't about us now. This is about them." I nodded stiffly.

"You're doing the right thing, Anne." He agreed. I sighed.

"The pain won't stop, though, right?" I asked weakly. His eyes tightened. His own pain was in his eyes, and I already knew the answer. He was dealing with this better than I ever would have. I admired him, in a way; but not in a way to make me respect him. Part of me, subconscious but growing more awakened every second, blamed William for this. If he hadn't brought her into a relationship, this wouldn't have hurt her or him. He would be happy, blissfully unaware of this unseen force stealing vampires from around Dallas.

"No, I'm sorry. But it's the price you have to pay for them, saving them. They will owe you so much, Anne. I wasn't sure if I could bring myself to tell you about all of this, but I'm glad I did. Anne, Vivian would have died long ago without your help and support. She needed you as much as you needed her. You're doing this for her, too, and Oscar." He added quietly. I closed my eyes, not able to think of that. He was earnest, and I counted that as a good thing. He wouldn't lie to protect me, and I would know only the truth. That would help me keep a grip on myself.

"For them and only for them; I can survive for them. You will make me survive, wont you? You will help me through this?" I looked at him, and he was staring at me, a new expression in his eyes. I hoped he didn't notice the two meanings in my words. I didn't want to lie to him, but I wasn't able to trust him like he trusted me straight away. I still had a lot to ask.

"Of course," He whispered. "I will help you through all of this. It's what I will do to repay you for your generous sacrifice for them." He hugged me close, and then let me go. "I know how hard it is for you. Just think of all the happy endings when you save them, right?" He said, his eyes burning into mine. I flinched. I saw him trying to probe, pushing into my dark secrets. I kept my guard up, not weakening at all. Though now, I assumed, I was weaker than ever. He knew that.

"Right..." I whispered, turning away.

_There is no happy ending._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three

Complications

Will had made me promise to wait. To see if anything else happened. So I had to tell Paul and the others about my searching trip. It was too late to change my mind now. I had made my choice, and had worked out a plan perfectly. I just hoped that I would be forgiven one day...

"Ruby, Violet, Richard, Paul?" I called nervously. They appeared at once, Ruby with a book in her hand, Violet obviously had nothing better to do, Richard in the middle of an email and Paul smiling at me like always. That helped me feel a bit better.

"Yes, Anne?" Violet asked. She was staring at me curiously. Maybe I looked a little bad. I didn't care.

"Well, there's something I need to tell you." I whispered, staring at a painting as I spoke. One of Paul's favourites...

"We guessed that. What's wrong, Anne?" Paul's smile stayed, but with a hint of concern.

"I – I need to leave Dallas – to find Oscar. Will and I have a theory that has proof, but I need to go with him. Vivian's gone now too...We need to find them both as soon as possible. I want you to stay here and keep guard for me." I whispered and my voice broke on the last sentence. There was a long silence, and they all exchanged glances. They trusted me, as strongest of the family, the only person with a gift, and Paul respected me. He wouldn't stop me going, but I knew he hated seeing his family he created leave him. I saw how it hurt him – I promised myself, I swore to myself, that I would come back for him – For them.

"We'll stay waiting, Anne; As long as you want. Be careful." Richard seemed to take it all in, and he was confident that I would come back. He was very alert suddenly, as if he was also taking in the danger. He glanced around himself, frowning slightly.

"I want you all to promise me you won't hurt yourselves while I'm gone." I said, and then grinned. "So wait until I'm back so I can kill you if you do."

"Ha ha. We promise, Anne. Take care." Violet said. She was also sad to see me go, by far the most eager to experiment with my gift. She was very pretty, the easiest to talk to, and she was usually very quiet. She tried to distract herself, staring aimlessly around the house, as she had done a lot of times. The way she inspected it, though, made it seem like it was her first time entering the house. I smiled slightly at her. Paul and I had thought that was her gift. Whatever she wanted people to think she was doing, we thought it. It was annoying though, when she was being sarcastic. If I was asking "Are you okay, Violet?" And she would say "No." I would rush in, concerned, and she would laugh. It was very distracting sometimes.

"Yes, Take care. We love you." Ruby said. Ruby sounded far away, like she was concentrating on something else. Knowing her, she probably was.

"Thanks Vi, Ruby. I love you all, and thank you Paul, for understanding."

"Of course; Take care, sweet one." He replied. I hugged them all, whispering goodbyes and thankyous. I grabbed a bag of clothes, a lot of pictures and ran through the door, unable to meet any of their eyes.

I was attending university like normal, staring through my lectures, not caring if I did something wrong or offended someone. I heard whispers all day.

"Like in a trance, you know. I'm not going to snap her out of it, probably make her so furious, and you know what she's been like lately –" They caught me looking, and turned away, eyes wary. I felt like killing them, ripping them apart, they knew nothing...but I knew I wouldn't. I couldn't draw any attention, none at all, so I stared down at my desk and pretended that I was listening to the tutor. The whispers continued, and anyone who tried to get close either got a sharp rude remark from me, or I glared at them. One boy, idiotic fool, tried to ask me out. Maybe he was blind, but he ignored my glare and I had to give him a little hint that I wasn't interested. I was a little cold, but I didn't care. Nothing mattered here.

I couldn't wait to meet Will. I wanted to explain that nothing was going to happen, and we should start searching now, right now; anything to get away early.

"Will, we should go –" I started. He interrupted me for once.

"Anne, something is coming....Something big." He whispered in a low, tense voice. He grabbed my arm, and we ran together into the forest.

"What did you say?" I whispered, not sure if my imagination had gone overboard. Something was coming...but...what? What could possibly happen now? I gasped as a horrific thought rushed into my head. Paul, Richard, Vivian and Ruby...left unprotected to the danger that was focusing on all of us. I tried to remember seeing their faces at university, meeting them at lunch, anything...Will interrupted my rash thoughts.

"Something is going to turn up exactly two hours from now, a clan...nine of them. I'm not sure what they want to do, but I saw them walking through the south end of the forest this morning." He stared at me, as if expecting me to make a plan. I glanced south, tensing myself.

"We wait." I said.

"But Anne, we don't know what they are here for. They might want to kill us." He said, squeezing my arm. I shook him off.

"We wait. If we die, I will be sent to hell, where I deserve to be. Oscar's probably dead now." I stared into the forest, hoping...

"No Anne, don't give up." He started pushing me away from the forest, eyes wary.

"Leave me _alone_! That isn't _your_ decision to make!" I screamed, furious. He looked pained.

"Anne, we have to _run_. _Run away_." He whispered, staring into my eyes. "Trust me on this." It was hard then to refuse, to stop myself from running right then, but I managed.

"What about Paul and the others? We can't leave them. I won't leave them. Dammit, Will! Why did this have to happen now? When we want to leave?" That distracted me for a moment. Whoever it was, might have known we would be leaving. Looking for some sign of weakness, knowing that we were leaving, trying to stop us getting to Vivian and Oscar. So it was planned. Then thoughts came flooding into my mind, buzzing and humming. "Some of their thoughts are coming into range now. They don't seem angry, thirsty...more...overjoyed about something – Celebrating." I spat the last word. He still looked cautious. "Maybe they just hunted here, and will pass. We can't run now. I _can't_ leave Paul. I don't care if I die. You know I don't, Will."

"If you won't go, I will. Anne, I won't leave Vivian to suffer the way she is. You may want to die, but I won't hurt Vivian that way. I thought you would say the same about Oscar, but..." He tested to see if his plan worked. I ignored him, knowing that somehow, this decision would be best.

"An hour and a half left, right?" I asked.

"Yes." He said. "I heard one talking about coming here at that time. She said she wanted to meet some people that needed help." He snorted, obvious sign that he thought they were here for the opposite. How he was so sure of himself, I didn't know. Of course I needed to take charge. I couldn't take him walking all over me, and my voice sounded a little sharper than I intended it to be.

"Well, pack my bags and yours. We'll follow them. Where ever they are going. I think there is something linked between them and Oscar." I managed to keep my voice even with a lot of concentration. Disbelief crossed his face.

"If they were in _any _way related to them, then they would be dead by now, bodies burned." He ran away to follow my instructions before I could get my hands on him. Fury boiled up inside me. Why was he being so difficult? Why didn't he just trust me for once?! I heard someone's thoughts changing abruptly, changing from humour to serious. And before I could react, they changed back again. It was confusing.

Only a few minutes later, I started to get a headache – this person had so many regular mood swings, from angry to bewildered, from calm to shocked, from happiness to depression...Then Will returned, with one bag for him and my bag I had packed a few weeks ago, with the pictures. I was glad I had thought of that. The pictures would help keep me sane.

"Whatever you do, don't try to talk to them." He told me, begging.

"Okay. But if I think it's the right thing, then I'll do whatever it takes." I stared into the forest. Fifteen minutes.

I heard eight footsteps walking towards us, probably one staying back at their shelter, guarding it. I tensed, and so did Will, an automatic response.

In one second, nine beautiful vampires were in a circle around us.

"_LEAVE HER ALONE_!" I heard Will yell. What was happening? Where was everyone? Why was it all black? Something was gripping me, tightly, but it wasn't uncomfortable. I almost groaned as the last few seconds of sight flashed in my mind. Nine vampires, one separate from the rest...

"Please, let me look at her. I've never seen this before, but I know what I'm doing. Let me talk to her." A calm voice pleaded. What was going on? I tried to find a light, but it was all just black. I kept slipping in and out of consciousness. I hadn't felt this way since I was human, and those memories were dim, vague, unsure...

"She can hear us now." A girls voice whispered, obviously excited. Excited about what? I felt something lift me up, and at last I found some light. My eyelids snapped open. I glanced frantically around myself. I was airborne.

"Anne? Anne!" It was Will, whiter than usual, lifting me in his arms. I struggled against his hold, and he put me down. I looked around me. Nine still remained, but one was different. One was only a child – an immortal child? My eyes went huge, round and I grabbed Will's arm.

_We have to run – Now. They have an immortal child. I should have never brought you into this. I'm sorry...run..._ I told Will urgently in his head, so the others couldn't hear.

"No Anne, it's not. You've been unconscious for over an hour. They explained everything." He whispered, and I was hyper-aware of all the eyes staring at me. I realised I was in a room. It was very light. I felt Will squeeze my hand.

"They want to help us." He told me. I stared at him in total disbelief.

"Oh, I see. They possessed you too." I whispered tonelessly. Despair weighed me down, dragging me down to the pits of hell...

"No." a girl from the group whispered. As she stepped forwards, a male stepped with her. She was holding the immortal child, which was also beautiful. I stared at it, with its chocolate brown eyes, pale, white skin...

"William knew we were coming." The male said. His arms were wrapped around the girl's waist, as if protecting her. I stepped towards them. The male growled, and in one instant he was in front of her, positioned in a crouch. Blimey, what was his problem? He has an immortal child with this girl, and he's scared of me, walking toward them? The ironic idiocy of it puzzled me. They were going to kill me anyway, so they might as well spare me the innocent act, as if _I'm_ the bad person. I glanced at Will, who was motionless, staring at nothing. He had simply given up, let them posses him, now there was no hope – None at all. We were all going to die.

"Don't you trust us? I can see why not. But we won't hurt you." He said, still in a crouch. I snorted. Of course he wouldn't hurt me, if I stayed still to be killed. The girl walked around him, giving the immortal child to him. She seemed used to him doing this. I frowned slightly. What was she doing? Surrendering? Maybe she was possessed, and found her way out of it. If that was the case, I needed to find who was able to snap out of possession. I guessed the male in a crouch was the leader, and the girl was _his, _technically...

"Edward, she's scared out of her mind. Take care of Renesmee for a second." She kissed him lightly, and stepped towards me, her hands faced palm up, like trying to prove she wasn't armed. She had other weapons; she didn't need a gun to kill me. I stood my ground while she approached, and yelled into her head while she wasn't expecting it.

_LEAVE US ALONE! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO KILL ME OR WILL! WE DID NOTHING WRONG!_

She jumped backwards, like I had hit her. The male, whom she had called Edward, ran forwards, punching me back into the wall; another round of brick-breaking – just great. He turned to her while I was dazed.

"Are you ok? Where did she hurt you? Bella, answer me!" He whispered urgently, like he was in pain, too. Her eyes were closed. I frowned at them. It was only yelling. Why was she so sensitive? If they all had that reaction, I might have a chance. I braced myself, flitting out of the wall, ready for the rebuff.

"Anne, we won't hurt you. Tell us why you don't trust us. Is it our clothes, our smell? What is wrong with us?" She whispered when she opened her eyes. "Edward, remind me not to let my shield down while I'm with her. Don't underestimate them." She added, in a lower voice. He nodded, curiosity burning in his eyes. She stood up again, walking towards me faster this time.

_Leave- Me- Alone. _

She barely flinched. I knew she didn't hear me, and I was confused.

No, I was scared. She had defence as well as attack. I looked wildly around me, nine vampires staring steadily at the girl called Bella. She looked at me with sympathy, like she knew what I was going through. I snorted at myself. She knew nothing. I had to get away, though I knew Will was already dead. But if they had killed Will, then I knew Oscar and Vivian were no doubt dead. Maybe I should just let them kill me.

"We won't kill you." Edward whispered his voice softer now. They were closing in on me. My breathing sped, and I panicked. They were herding me against the wall. I pressed into it, glaring at them, ready to use my new weapon. Will sat still in a corner, like a stone. I didn't have to worry about him now. He had no more pain to suffer. Maybe that was what I needed, too.

"You're safe with us, Anne. Don't doubt that. Trust us." Another male said, and I felt suddenly calm. Yes, I should trust them. It was my only chance. I saw Bella glance at the male, and he nodded. She stood beside me, and took the immortal child, Renesmee. They named it. I was disgusted and calm at the same time. How strange. Part of me kept tabs on my moods, and what their expressions were. Another part was concentrating on Will, and yet another part working out on what these vampires wanted. The child reached out for me, and I recoiled away. A huge male grabbed me by the arms, strength obviously double of mine. Maybe triple. I struggled anyway. Another flood of calm suddenly spread over me, stronger than the first. Why should I fight? They might as well torture me before they murdered me. The male that told me to trust them had his graceful face tight with concentration, like he was doing something with a lot of effort. The immortal child touched my cheek, and I gasped. Pictures entered my mind, of the eight vampires, each individual.

Carlisle Cullen was a doctor, and he never hurt anyone. That reassured me a little, knowing he would probably hate it when they killed me. Esme Cullen was his wife, and she loved anyone and everyone. How strange, she loved everyone but me. Well, me and Will, Vivian and Oscar. She killed them all. Edward Cullen is their "son", created by Carlisle. Then there's Alice and Jasper, the male who was concentrating and the small girl who was excited. Then Rosalie and Emmett, They are a couple, I learned. Rosalie was very dear to this immortal child. Then there is Bella Cullen, Edward's wife.

Ah, Bella. She is the mother of the child, and the immortal child loves her so much. She wouldn't live without Bella.

Edward is its father. So Bella and Edward are together, Rosalie and Emmett, Alice and Jasper and Carlisle and Esme. A clan of vampire couples that class themselves as a family. How nice, they can all work together to kill me.

"We want to help you. Don't you see?" Edward whispered in a gentle voice. I managed to control myself enough so I could speak.

"Yes, I see. I don't want to get mixed up in any of this. Let me go. I don't want to die. Not with Oscar out –" I stopped myself from finishing.

"We will help you. We understand more than you do. We can keep you safe, you won't die." Carlisle said. He was very casual, standing a few meters away, ready if needed. I wondered why they considered me dangerous, when they wanted to help me – like I was some kind of criminal. Why should they worry about me? The answer came very fast, just that I had been putting it off. It was in front of my face. They got something out of this, too.

"We can provide you with food and a temporary home. I can't watch you suffer like this, dear." Esme said, staring at me, pleading. I distrusted that face.

"You-you want to help me-us?" I stuttered, glancing at Will. He had said nothing, not moved an inch. His face was blank. He nodded at me, glad I finally understood. Or that's what I thought. Maybe it was an insane gesture, one of their tricks. I wasn't able to focus just on that, as Esme started speaking again.

"Yes dear. We've been watching for weeks now, and it's not right. You are suffering deeply." Esme said with voice full of concern.

"Bella take Anne and William in your car; we will meet back home." Carlisle said calmly, and then only three vampires were left; Bella, Edward and Renesmee, the immortal child. I noticed that I was gripping Bella's arm so tight it would have crushed a humans arm, and quickly let go.

"I'm not going anywhere with you." I frowned at them. Edward sighed, obviously expecting this.

"You want our help, am I correct?" He asked. I glared at him. I wanted to get away, to run, but I knew that this was not for me, but for other lives, and I focused only on that. It calmed me a little.

"No. I didn't ask for your help. Will and I were doing fine by ourselves," I growled. "It's none of your business. How much did William tell you?"

"He told us all we need to know." Bella whispered as she led me carefully to the car.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four

Understanding

We sat in silence, Renesmee playing with Bella's hair as Edward drove the car. I was the one who broke the silence, too scared to keep my thoughts to myself.

"So what if you are actually here to help, what are you going to do about it?" I asked, terrified at my own daring to ask this question. It sounded silly, actually. I knew the answer, as I had worked it out before. Edwards face was unreadable as he answered me, and Bella was staring ahead, calmly, like she was focused on something beyond us, something far away, and something that we could not see. It distracted me for a fraction of a second, and I turned back to Edward.

"We have a good idea who is doing this. We need more help. And you need our help, so you can return the favour." He had a hint of humour in his voice, so I wanted to shut him up. I knew that was the answer I was expecting, but the way he said it so casually, like it was their honour to let us help them, I was backed with more fury.

_You have no idea how much it hurts to be me. Go crawl back where you came from. I'm sure you, your wife, your immortal child will love killing me as soon as you get the chance._

I spoke to him darkly in his head, it was sure to surprise him. I waited as he heard it, but he didn't react. His lips were pressed in a tight line and he spoke again, much softer than before. I frowned. His persuasion wasn't working on me, so why didn't he just give up? He could read my mind, to my annoyance. I could do nothing about it.

"Like I said before, we don't want to kill you. We want to help you. Don't harm my wife, please. You will regret it." He seemed to know how I worked. I growled.

"Oh, she doesn't like it? See how she likes getting kidnapped by a bunch of vampires that are going to kill her!" I said, growling furiously.

"We aren't going to kill you, please understand!" He said, pleading now.

"_I HOPE SHE DIES, JUST SO I CAN SEE YOUR MISERABLE FACE WHEN SHE DOES_!" I screamed, throwing the car door open. Bella flinched, and Edward growled in anger. The car stopped abruptly, And Edward ran out of the car, holding my arms behind my back before I got a chance to run.

"What did you say?" He growled. I knew this was it – time to die.

"I said that I would love to see your miserable face if your wife dies." I said, not a hint of fear in my voice. Good. Courage was good. His grip on my arms got tighter.

"Don't say that. Don't _ever_ say that, or I _will_ kill you." He whispered darkly, and then he let me go. I ran as soon as I was let go, but Bella ran with me.

"Don't leave us. Edward has a very quick temper. I know you didn't mean it. Please, let us help you." She told me, pleading.

"You're asking me to go with you, nine strange vampires I'm sure that want to kill Will and I, on the loose with an immortal child?!" I yelled. She flinched at the last part.

"She isn't immortal. She is a half-born. I conceived her while I was human." She said, pained.

"That doesn't mean anything to me- Nothing at all." I said, stopping suddenly.

"I know. Please let us help you. No one will hurt you, I will protect you." She said, sounding very confident.

"_You_ can protect me from _them_?" I snorted.

"Want me to prove it to you?" She grinned, arching one of her eyebrows.

"Sure, I'll say I told you so when I die." I hissed, defeated. She laughed softly.

"I won't let them harm a hair on your or William's head." She promised me faithfully. She took my hand and we ran back to the car where Edward was cradling Renesmee (the half-born now, apparently) in his arms. He looked up at Bella, as if he was asking her a question, but didn't ask anything. She shook her head. He relaxed, and hugged Bella. He kissed her forehead and then turned to me.

"I'm sorry, Anne." He said. Bella nodded at him, and climbed in the back seats of the car with me. She kept up a casual conversation while gaining information from me.

"So how long have you known Will?" she asked, looking at me for signs on my face.

"For over twenty years. He's my best friend's husband." I said in a dead tone. I had given up. I didn't care what they did to me now.

"Oh? Where is your best friend?" She asked politely. I flinched, and suddenly I was being comforted by her, her hands rubbing my back.

"I'm sorry. We need to know as much as we can. I know it hurts you, but there is only one other way..." She trailed off.

"What?" I thought suddenly, though my voice sounded weak.

"You can get Edward to read it from you." She suggested, looking at him through the mirror. He pursed his lips, and then nodded.

"No! I can do better than that." I insisted, breaking Bella's embrace.

"What?" She said, puzzled.

"I can give my mind to you." I said. "I did it earlier, you know, when you tried to kill me." I whispered.

"I wasn't going to kill you. And I didn't know you yelled through your _mind. _I thought everyone heard it, then realised no one else was cringing. I thought you screamed so loud it was a weapon." She said, confused.

"I thought you understood, love. When I read her mind, she added to it. It's a gift in some ways, but..." Edward frowned. "It _is _a weapon." He said quietly.

"It won't hurt so much if I think it. I think about it a lot. I get used to the pain." Bella looked sympathetic as I said this, and I gave her a brief part of the story.

_It started twenty four years ago-_

"Bella, it might help if you stop defending yourself from my _weapon._" I said sarcastically.

"Oh yes, sorry." She said, smiling apologetically. I started again.

_Twenty four years ago, I was just like you and Edward. Except that it was Anne and Oscar. We were like this. _I crossed my fingers together to show what I meant. _And one day he told me he was leaving. He wanted to find the people he was with when he was created; he called them his brothers and sisters. He said I couldn't come, because they would reject me. I was broken. It took me years to become in control of the pain, the emptiness. _I glanced at her, and she looked agonised. Edward looked like he was in pain, too. I panicked. Was some unseen force attacking them? When I stopped, they both relaxed after a while. How strange. I tilted my head to one side, eyebrows knitting together. What had happened there? I didn't raise my voice, and I was very much in control of that.

"We are so terribly sorry. It touched a sensitive part in our past." He said politely. "Please do go on." They waited for the rest.

_Skipping the rest; twenty four years ahead, Vivian (my best friend through absolutely everything) goes missing, too. Saying the exact same, and leaving behind her the same mess. Will was torn, too, and we have some understanding that it wasn't necessarily them that was leaving; they were possessed by something bad. I've left my clan of six including me to get them both back. I won't return until I have them both safe. You can help me with that, right?_

Then it was my turn to wait. They both thought it over, obviously deep in thought. Will was oblivious to it all, in his own world. He had hardly noticed when the car had stopped; when I had screamed, when Edward had growled. He was in a trance; A trance of numbness, pain, and emptiness. I felt so bad. I didn't want him to leave Dallas. He was safe there, safer than here. I could deal with this alone. He wasn't actually helping at all – just using up another part of my mind with worry.

"We will do what we can. We're here." Edward murmured. Bella looked up, and relaxed. She must have a lot of faith here.

All I could say to put words into this place was "Wow" But it was much more than that. The house was magnificent, light and breathable. The weather was dark and wet, so we didn't have to hide. Will snapped out of his trance for a moment, too; his face was still agonised, but he relaxed a little. We both cautiously stepped out of the car while Edward and Bella went to meet the rest of their clan. They exchanged hugs, and Bella passed Renesmee to Rosalie, who was stunning. I had been too locked in fury and fear to realise. Her golden shiny hair fanned out behind her, following her. I stared after her while she walked into the house.

"This is the right thing to do, right?"Will asked – he was still a little dazed.

"Right," I agreed, nodding simply.

"William, Anne, this is our home." Carlisle said, gesturing towards the palace. Yes, it wasn't a home; it was a palace. Edward chuckled.

Oh, I got it. He could read my mind. I remembered Renesmee showing me that. I didn't even have to force my mind into his. He could read it perfectly; such a shame. I couldn't surprise him when I wanted to. I pouted. Edward laughed. Bella shot him a confused look, but he told her with his eyes. She grinned.

Secret eye-language... What the hell? I was going officially crazy. They both laughed outright at that, though I didn't think of it as particularly funny. They confused me, strangers that could talk through their eyes. I felt fury for them mocking me. Esme was the one to ease my anger.

"Come inside, dear. It's unnecessary to be out here." She smiled at me, taking me by the hand and leading me inside. It was all so strange; this warm, comforting palace with crazy people living inside, crazy _couples _living inside.

Well, the inside was something else... _really_ something else. It was amazing. It was very light, and it was huge. The whole of the south of the palace was glass, which I was sure would be useful for guarding the place. Their land with the house was beautiful; undisturbed grass, with a huge field laid out on a flat surface. The whole of the west was filled with a staircase leading to the first floor, and it too was light. Everything was either white or cream, and every colour in-between. There was a small platform in the room for a grand piano. I gasped. I smelled something. Human blood; just like Renesmee's, and it burned my throat. I just realised my sudden thirst, and lurched forwards towards it. As I launched forwards, I sniffed something else, something disgusting, but not revolting, it just meant something more to drink. Six pairs of hands grabbed my waist, my arms, and my hands as I tried to reach that adorable smell and the bad one.

"Control yourself, please." Said Carlisle, and I tried to resist. I relaxed a bit, keeping my jaw clamped shut. Two pairs of hands let go. A tall, dangly man walked in, smiling hugely at Renesmee, who Rosalie now passed to Bella. I sniffed. The awful smell was _him. _Oh. He was the werewolf. I saw his expression falter as he saw me and Will; I was struggling against six pairs of hands holding me like chains, and Will was staring into space. I saw Alice hopping up the stairs while Jasper still held me; she was probably changing clothes as Renesmee had seen many times. Another sweep of calmness spread through me, but I knew better this time than to trust it. Renesmee had also pointed out their special "gifts" like mine. Edward could read minds, Bella could protect any offence to minds in her range, Jasper could control emotions, and Alice could see the future and Renesmee could give you her thoughts. She copied me, except she could give anything. I could only give words, with sound too. The human blood smell soon disappeared, and was replaced by a disgusting smell. I recoiled, wrinkling my nose. Edward chuckled again.

"There are werewolves – no, not Children of the Moon – around here most of the time. We have truces...sometimes." He heard my instinctual thoughts when he mentioned the words, and he was suddenly angry, tensed as he fought the urge to glare at Jacob.

"Um, Bella, err, want me to take Nessie?" He said gruffly, fidgeting. I saw her shake her head and she let me go. Edward still had his hands on my arms, his lips pulled back to try and achieve a fierce threatening look.

"What _is it_ with you?! Laugh at my expense, sure!" I yelled, and lunged for him. I got punched back in the same second; I flew back out of the door and fell down the steps. As I was picking myself up off the floor, he picked me up instead and held my arms behind my back like before.

"Control yourself." He said, serious now.

"Why don't you?" I made an imitation of his growl, to prove my point.

"That was defence." He said simply. I glared at him.

"Sure it was." I shook him off, and sat in the corner of their living room. I glared at them all standing anxiously around me, concerned for me. I sent a message to them all;

_Just back off. Leave me alone._

Slowly they got the message and went about their usual business, ignoring the girl in the corner glaring. Edward and Bella didn't leave me though, and that was a pain. Again and again I told them.

"Go away." I mumbled, not looking at either of them.

"Fine; Bella, let's go." He said, turning away. "I'm sure we can do something more interesting than this." He added, kissing her. Ugh, I couldn't stand this. She kissed him back, and then turned to me.

"I want to get to know you, Anne. I would love to be friends with you." She glanced at Edward as she said this, and his eyes dulled with disappointment. I was happy with this, so I agreed.

"Sure." I said, watching his hunger as he hugged her close. He restrained her, but she didn't resist. She seemed as weak as him. I rolled my eyes.

"No," He murmured, stroking her face. She got the message, and took several deep breaths to steady herself. I rolled my eyes again. I was enjoying this, seeing them struggle with control. I wasn't the only one, it seemed. I watched his eyes go from black to strange yellow again, and I stared in curiosity at them. Bella's eyes did the same.

"Why are your eyes like that?" I asked quietly.

"It seems we have a lot to learn about each other." Bella smiled.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter five

Now or never

"So let me get this right, you've _never_ tasted human blood?" I asked incredulously, staring wide-eyed at Bella.

"Not since I was created. When I was human I did, because the baby was thirsty. But I've never actually killed a human or drank their blood since I've been a vampire." She said, playing with my hair. We were friends already, and only been together a week.

"But that doesn't really count, because your only two years old." I said, grinning at her. She grinned back, her white teeth gleaming.

"I suppose; but I want it to stay that way, however old I am." Edward came over then, and by now I was used to him listening to everything we discussed and what I thought. Bella did her best to protect me when it annoyed me but it required concentration, and Edward had tricks to distract her if he wanted to. It was a situation I would love either way, so I gave up easily enough. I waited patiently while he kissed her, probably just to annoy me. I could tell that they really loved each other by the way their thoughts changed in mood when they were around each other, so it didn't really matter that much to me. I just wished it was me and Oscar. Bella and Edward knew about this, and had stopped for a while, but it really got on my nerves when all they thought about was kissing each other when I was around. So I said fine – go ahead, embarrass yourselves in front of me. It wasn't so bad here, I must admit – hunting trips (for animals, I learned), games with Emmett (mostly wrestling) and baseball when there were storms were very distracting, and kept me "entertained" as the Cullens would put it. Only one thing worried me – William. Everyone was being very gentle with him, though he assured them that he was fine. I saw the pain in his eyes, and so did the others. It worried me. I jumped up and realised that I had been staring at them both during my thinking, and they were startled.

"Sorry." I muttered, and went up to my room.

Yes, _my _room. They had cleared out a room of what Esme called "bits and bobs" to clear space for me. I refused at first, but then the room called me and I got attached. I was getting so used to this; I was worried if I would ever be able to leave. Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Alice, Renesmee, Bella, Edward, Carlisle and Esme all seemed part of a new family to me. I constantly checked the news for anything in my area in Dallas, but found nothing. Alice knocked on my door.

"Can I come in?" She asked her voice light. I cleared my throat.

"Sure." She came in skipping, like she had good news. I became more alert.

"What is it?" I wondered.

"Well, I saw you liked my clothes I put in for you..." She trailed off, absorbed in her own thoughts. She could predict if I would accept whatever was coming, anyway.

"Well, yes Alice. You have great taste in fashion." I said, smiling at her. She bounced up and down, clapping her hands.

"Great! It's finally time someone noticed! Bella has always hated the fact that I don't like to reuse clothes, and I only pick the best. It's wonderful to finally find someone who notices my talent!" the words came out in a rush, and she hugged me. "I'll be right back, Anne!" She called as she ran to her own room. She returned not a second later carrying two large suitcases. I eyed them cautiously. She laughed at me.

"Well, how much do you like my clothes?" She asked, raising an eye brow at me.

"A lot – I never dreamed I would wear things like this." I picked up the white skirt I was wearing and the pure white long sleeved frilly blouse I was wearing with it. She smiled at me, and I was sure she was overjoyed.

"Well, this is an early birthday present." She said opening the suitcases of clothes. They were all outfits of light colours, white, baby pink or blue, cream and a nice rose colour. I gasped in admiration.

"What do you think?" She asked nervously. I was silent for a moment, marvelled at the clothes – and then threw my arms around her. She knew this was coming, and held her arms out expecting me. The words came out in a mumble.

"I love you Alice. This is the best present ever – really." She hugged me then reached for a blue outfit of a clingy silk shirt and silk trousers.

"Try this." She said as I whipped them on, and she disposed the outfit I was previously wearing.

"Wow. I look so..." I admired myself for once.

"Beautiful? No one dressed by me ever looks the opposite." She said, grinning. I hugged her again, and bounded down the stairs, Alice by my side. Edward and Bella were discussing something, they were both whispering. Emmett and Rosalie were at their house, and Jasper was waiting for Alice. Esme complimented me as I came down the stairs.

"Anne! That looks perfect on you; absolutely beautiful!" She said, hugging me. I smiled at her.

"Thank you." I replied, excitement gushing out of me. I knew Jasper could do this, but I was excited anyway.

I was a little sharp with Bella these days, and the truth was that I was a tiny bit jealous of her. Edward was so...perfect. She acted like he was any other person; except for of course she loved him. It made me angry to think she left him for granted. I was dying to impress Edward, and when he smiled at me, I was beaming. He whispered in Bella's ear.

"Mmm, that would look so good on you, love." He chuckled, and Bella kissed him. Before I could see what Edward was about to do, I turned away, smile faltered a little. I bounded back upstairs to the privacy of my room, and let my thoughts shatter me. My pain was now something else, something else entirely.

On the one hand, I really yearned for Oscar, for him to be happy, healthy, and I loved him.

On the other, I yearned now for Edward. It sent chills up my spine, but it was true. I yearned to be Bella, to be married to him, to have his child, to be with him during the long nights...

I couldn't let myself think like that. I came here to get Oscar back; of course. I was just so crazed by my ache for Oscar I was going mad. I needed to explain to Will.

_Will, I need to leave soon. Let's get this show on the road, okay? We need to do whatever we can for these murders, and get back home._

I heard his steps to my room, and he knocked on my door.

"I'm in." I whispered. He came in, and stood frozen where he was, looking at me in a peculiar way. He clenched his jaw, and his eyes turned black like coal.

"What....what was that...Anne?" he asked, obviously an effort. I was puzzled by his ragged breathing, his eyes, and his glaring. He had deep coldness in his eyes, like he was fighting himself.

"Um, there's something I don't like about this place anymore. So we need to stop wasting time and start doing what we came here to do." I stammered, put off track by his slow approaching. He finally managed to relax his mouth to speak properly.

"What is it you don't like?" He asked, as if worried by my dislike. He sat next to me, staring at me. It was very distracting.

"Nothing important – It just throws me off track. I think we need to start doing something, regardless." I stared in wonder as his hands which were clenched into fists and he whispered in my ear.

"It's important to me." He whispered, and I shivered. He leaned closer, starting at me intently. Then I heard someone whip up the stairs. It was Edward, holding Bella's hand, dragging her with him. Edward stopped at the door, staring hardly at Will.

"William, get away from Anne." He said calmly, though his eyes were nearing black with anger. William ignored him, leaning closer. I shivered again.

"William." Edward said coldly, stepping forwards. I heard Will catch his breath. He removed his hand from my neck, and ran out of the room, out of the house, probably to the nearest bus stop for shelter. That was his usual spot. I couldn't let him suffer like this because of me.

_I'm sorry._

I kept on trying to talk to him, but he ignored me or wanted to think my words over before he saw me again. Edward had returned back to his house with Bella afterwards, leaving me alone. Did Edward act out of jealousy, or for our sake? I knew our lives would be ruined if I had let Will say those magic words, Oscar would leave me, Vivian would leave him...But it pained me to have these questions building up. I decided to ask Bella as soon as Edward was away. It was lucky it was her turn to look after Renesmee as he went hunting a few days later, and it was the best chance I had.

"Bella, I was meaning to ask you something." I started with that, it was the most casual. She turned to look at me, and left Renesmee playing with Charlie. He was a regular visitor here; I learned that he was Bella's father, and he was attached to Renesmee, like everyone else. Was I the only one who saw her as a danger, a weapon?

"Yes, Anne?" She replied, totally polite. She was like Edward in every way but one – he was perfect, she had some flaws. Charlie interrupted us.

"I'll be off now, Sue's making lunch..." He said gruffly, trying to be inconspicuous about inspecting my expression. "Cya Bells," They hugged for a brief moment, and Bella called after him as he left.

"See you later, Dad." I waited until Charlie was safely in his car, and started again.

"Um, the other night, with Will..." I trailed off, letting her work it out.

"What about it?" She asked, staring at me.

"What did Edward say to you about it?" I asked, and if I could blush I'm sure I would have.

"Well, he didn't say much, he was very distracted afterward." She ducked her head, and I'm sure if _she_ could blush, she would be tomato red. "He wanted to protect you both from yourselves. He knew from your minds that you both wanted love and care more than anything else – as it had been heartlessly ripped from you. We both understand, but I would also like it if you stopped showing interest in my husband so clearly." She giggled on the last part, and I was shocked. Was I that easy to read? _Oh my god, I have made a real mess this time,_ I thought. But she winked at me.

"It's just him who knows, he can read your mind even if the confinement of your room." She said in a clearly disapproving tone.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know that –" I started.

"Don't worry; he shouldn't have listened to you so much. Besides, I can sympathise. I know what it's like, having your love taken away by either safety or evil." Her voice lowered. "And the Volturi have never made it easy, but this time, it's their fault. Our only problem is sorting the problem." She sighed. "I'm not mad at you, Anne. I know for one thing that Edward is mine, not to offend you, and I know what you are going through. But if you let William carry on like this, and yourself, it will leave its mark. Trust me." She pressed her lips together, and I knew that this was all that she was going to say. I thought about what she said for a brief second. _She _was blaming _me _for William's mistakes? _She _was so confident that _I _wouldn't be able to get Edward? A growl bubbled to my chest – I tried to shake it off, to calm down, but I didn't. It ran through my head – she was criticising _my _actions, and not thinking about the stupid things she does? I heard myself shouting, screaming at her, hissing. I cornered her, making sure that she couldn't escape. Bella instinctively grabbed Renesmee and shielded them both – smart of her. I could hear people approaching fast, leaping towards the house, but I ignored whatever was coming. It could have been werewolves for all I cared. My focus was on Bella and Renesmee. I had to make them see what they were doing wrong – open their eyes, make then pay for it. When I was a few centimetres away from Bella, she put Renesmee behind herself; her face froze in its expression. Her eyes turned black, and she was hissing now, too. I wasn't scared at all by this – she hadn't had very long to learn how to fight – but more encouraged. As we lunged for each other, growls erupted constantly and we spat at each other. I hadn't seen this side of Bella before, so I didn't know what to expect. She had quite a few tricks, but I knew them. Once I caught Renesmee, and sent her flying into a table. She was unharmed – anyone would have seen that straight away – but Bella screamed at me, thrashing, our fight increasing in tempo quickly. Renesmee ran back to us – not even a scratch left, of course – and almost caused her own mother's death. I used Bella's distraction as an advantage – fully absorbed by the kill – and in a few seconds my teeth were at her throat, arms locked around her head. But then, Bella was extremely lucky. By the stories I had heard of her, even as human, she would escape death. Even as a vampire, the luck remained. The only thing that stopped me tearing her apart then was that Edward was in the doorway. His face was excruciating to see – his face was twisted with horror, frozen like ice, disgusted and infuriated all at the same time. His eyes were flat black when he saw us both. His nostrils flared, his hands balled into fists, and he let out a wild roar.

"_NO!"_ He was by us in the same instant, picking up Renesmee and letting her down outside the door. He slammed it shut, then stood a few feet away from us. I was breathing again now, gasps of air against Bella's neck. I could see now that Bella was scared – but of me or Edward, I couldn't tell. "Anne." He growled the word, his emotions covered, the anger controlled for one second in an attempt to stop me from killing his wife. And, sure enough, I slowly released my hold on Bella. She seemed to compose herself, and stood frozen still. Distracted by Bella, I didn't see Edward flatten me against the wall, his strong long fingers wrapped tightly against the tops of my arms, his beautiful face almost frightening with anger. His eyes were still jet black, and his face now showed fully the amount of anger and pain he was experiencing. Before I could properly read his expression, _his _teeth were at _my _neck. How on earth had this happened? I thought I was the one who was going to murder. Bella spoke up then.

"Edward, don't," Her voice was barely a whisper, broken by pain or fear, I still didn't know. His eyebrows narrowed, his glare now more ferocious, and very, very slowly he tilted his head around to see Bella.

"She tried...She doesn't deserve to live." A slight shudder rippled through me as I realised he was talking about me. Bella shook her head slightly, her expression pitied.

I heard Edward take a deep breath, and he let me go, taking a step backwards. He was glaring at me still, his hands now clenched, taking deep breaths in an attempt to stay calm.

"I don't want you to be near her." He whispered to Bella, and she quietly walked out. Trying to seem casual, even after everything, I walked after her. His voice whipped me, low and harsh.

"Not you." I shivered. He took a few steps towards me, short steps, enough to make my breath come in gasps and my head running with unwanted lust. I looked up, into his eyes, and they were still dark, cold; unemotional. Suddenly, as I looked into his eyes, I felt the need to cover those few steps of space between us, to get closer to him. When I heard Renesmee's high pitched voice, I also felt the need to hurt both her and Bella. I pressed myself to Edward, forcing myself on him. My lips found his, and my lips parted. I suddenly felt warm, high. I felt brave. My arms wrapped around him, making him unable to escape. I crushed myself to him, fully aware for a few short seconds, he was kissing me back. All I could focus on was the fact that I loved him – not the fact that he was in love with Bella, not me, not the fact that he had a child, and not the fact that he would be letting me go. Much too soon, he turned into cold stone, a rock. His lips pressed together, no response from them. His arms locked into place by his side, and his breathing stopped. He was glaring, and the phrase _if looks could kill _would do brilliantly here. A growl burst from him, and I pulled away. Bella was in the room now, looking anxiously at both of us. I knew she hadn't seen anything – she would be more than anxious if that had happened. Somehow, Edward tensed even more, his back to Bella, and whipped around to face her. In the moment I knew I wouldn't get again, I ran from them, running to my room. I had no idea what to do, but I suddenly realised there was something I needed to clear up. I went to talk with Will – I knew he was in hearing range, so I used his mind instead. I decided to tell him nothing of what had happened, but to cover our own troubles.

_Will, I want to tell you something – I think we should stop ourselves from letting our friendship get out of control. You know the trouble it will cause if we were to be selfish and unfeeling like that – we would both regret it. I love you as my best friend's husband, Will – nothing else. If I were to become irresponsible and selfish because Oscar is not here with me, then it would be wasted. And I'm sure you feel the same way. I'm truly sorry._

And then I waited for Edward. I wasn't sure what to say, but I knew I could do nothing else.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six

Honesty

"Yes, Anne, I see why you want that. But we can't charge into Volterra, grab your friends, and run out again. We need a plan, a hunting party and defence. Bella can only protect those in a few miles radius. We are trying our best." Edward assured me, and started to walk out. It seemed, after four days, that he had forgiven me, for my sake or Bella's, I didn't know. It was so uncomfortable, knowing he was listening to every thought that went through my head. He put it down to my longing for Oscar. Bella wasn't even bothered by the fact that I loved him – marriage proved that I couldn't have him. I only had myself to blame, I guess. I tried to lie down comfortably and think out my options, but all I could think about was Will, Edward and Oscar. It confused me. Only two months or so ago I had nothing, nothing at all – and now I had too much, way too much. _I love you, Edward. I know you love me, too. _He froze in my doorway. I held my breath. I hated it when I let...well _made_ my thoughts go out of control like that.

"No, Anne. Don't say that." He whispered. He turned to look at me. "Your emotions are mixed up." His face was strained. He seemed more focused on convincing himself than me.

I pressed my lips together. "No, Edward. My love for Oscar is only a small fraction of how I feel for you right now. How many times have I wished I was Bella? How many times have I thought of killing her for taking you for granted? You know you love me too. Admit it." He took a step into my room, and then whispered, pleading me. I saw the anger that flashed to his face when I mentioned killing Bella, but he was good at self-control.

"I don't love you, Anne. You don't love me, either. We are just friends. If you won't believe that, then I will stay away. Don't hurt us both like this." And then he vanished. I sat on my bed, thinking about what I had just done. Bella didn't deserve this, and judging by the way her and Edward acted around each other, it looked like they both deserved each other. I stared unseeingly at the blank white ceiling, my mind blank, almost like it was floating, free. I stared at the four walls around me, thinking...

A couple of hours later William arrived, looking cautious.

"Hey." He said, looking at me with concern.

"William." I croaked. He scanned me, searching for any obvious signs that I was injured or harmed. "I only hurt here." I whispered, placing a hand on my heart. It had stopped beating oh so many years ago, but it still managed to give me agony every single day for the last 24 years.

"What's wrong? Has something happened?" He asked urgently.

"Yes...we need to leave. It's not worth all this just to find them both dead." I turned away from him, folding my arms across my chest. That was my thoughts – I hadn't intended to say that out loud.

"It can't have been that bad, Anne. Everyone is acting like normal, maybe even _celebrating._" He said, imitating me when he said the last word. I glared at him coldly.

"Just because you can hold yourself together doesn't mean I can. Sure you can numb the pain, but I can't take much more of this. You can stay, but I'm leaving." I said dryly, making sure he knew I meant it. He stared at me with disbelief.

"You know this is our last chance, our only hope. You can't just throw their hospitality back in their faces!" He exclaimed, horror clear on his face as he realised I had made my decision.

"Just watch me, Will." I snapped. I ran downstairs, and spoke to Esme. "I'm really sorry, but I'm going to have to leave. Thank you for your help, I'm sure William will stay with you. I have some urgent matters to attend to back home. Tell Will to call me if you find out anything." I whispered on the last part. I couldn't even look at her, so I ran back upstairs and started packing my bags.

"You can't do this to me...to us, Anne. We've got so many opportunities here; support, shelter, company and people who want to stop this as much as we do. You can't give up now." He looked like I'd just hurt him. I ignored Will, and when my bags were packed I decided to tell Bella how I felt. She would understand, hopefully. _I'm sorry I left a mess like this behind for you to clean up. I hope you forgive me, Renesmee too. I will always remember you all, don't worry. William will help you more than me and I hope you all succeed. Good luck, Bella. _With that I ran out of the house, and ran for all I was worth. I didn't stop, even when I heard Will shouting for me. The Cullens were all there, staring after me. I glanced back at Edward, his face smooth as he was holding Renesmee's hand and Bella's. I sighed. Goodbye, Forks.

As I was running, I thought of all the things I would be missing; my chance to save Oscar and Vivian (though I presumed they were already dead), William my only friend, and the safety and shelter of the Cullen household. I would feel just as safe with my clan; I've lived there for years. But I couldn't stop thinking of Forks as my home now. I forced myself to keep running, but I stopped suddenly as an awful smell entered the air – the werewolves. I tensed up, waiting for them to pounce out from the shadows and attack. I knew I was no match for them, skilled as I was. My clan always moved out the area of werewolves, so we had never had much trouble with them – I had always been told that they were dangerous and unpredictable. I waited for what seemed like hours, sniffing cautiously every five minutes. At least I would have an excuse for dying. I stiffened as I heard the werewolf approach. What I was not prepared for was all my different feelings at once.

One was fear, but it only lasted a second. The second was relief, like they weren't dangerous. The third was absolute shock. There were twelve of them. They were huge, and they walked in perfect synchronisation, like it was choreographed. They almost pranced toward me. I stood frozen still as they approached. One of them shook his head, like he was almost as shocked as I was. One of them lurched toward me, growling. I ran away, my eyes wide with fear. The other werewolves followed, and I started to panic. Then suddenly they all stopped, four of them holding the one that was chasing after me. I crouched, ready to pounce. Then I fell backwards, startled. They were disappearing. What was happening? I spent a few seconds concentrating, and I saw that they were running, one at a time, then coming back as..._human. _I recalled the memory of clothes of some sort in their mouths, on their backs. Then I recalled Edward's introduction to the guy that had walked in when I first arrived in Forks.

"There are werewolves – no, not Children of the Moon – around here most of the time. We have truces...sometimes." He had tensed, like he was angry about something. I frowned, trying to figure it out. Werewolves, he had said – but _not _Children of the Moon? They were the same thing – weren't they? When half of them were human, they looked questioningly at their obvious leader. He was tall, very tall with thick long hair. He was the alpha, and the first to speak.

"What...the...d'you think you're doing here?!" He demanded, almost shouting the words. He started shaking, but quickly controlled it. I gasped, trying to speak for myself.

"I-I'm leaving this-This area. I-I don't know an-any other wa-way." I gasped, still shocked. I stood up, hunched, scared.

"Great excuse kid." One snorted, glaring at me.

"You broke the treaty – at last. Finally we can have some fun around here." One grinned, also cold and glaring.

"Wait. What if the excuse is true? We can prove that she is one of them, but she might not know. Let's not do anything too hasty." The alpha said, trying to keep them back. The minute they were distracted, I ran. In an instant I was captured by five of the wolves, unable to move. I gave up then, showing defeat. They wrinkled their noses and looked at me with disgust. I started to struggle, throwing my arms back, throwing them through the forest. More wolves circled me, and I hissed and spat at them. They closed in on me, and I started to try and throw them away, one by one. They seemed to be multiplying until all twelve of the wolves were around me. The large one, the alpha, knocked me down and ran out, coming back as human. I was trapped.

"Well let's see what the other bloodsuckers have to say about this." The alpha said, getting out a cell phone. "Hey, Bells. We have a problem here. I think you know what." He said, saying the words slowly, but growling. He was trying to keep himself calm. "No, a few of you will be fine. Just pick her up and _keep her away from here._" He spat the last part, quivering as he said it. A few seconds later a car arrived, Bella and Emmett climbing out of the car. I was glad Edward wasn't here. Though he probably already knew about all of this, him being here would have made it just that bit harder. I looked around me, puzzled. What exactly had I done? It wasn't a crime to run away from a werewolf, or whatever they were – maybe cowardly to do so, but not a crime. Fighting in defence wasn't bad, either. I sighed as Bella run to the tree closest to the edge of the forest, waiting for something. As the wolves shoved me towards her, I realised she was waiting for me. What was wrong with getting me herself? Were the werewolves really that dangerous?

"Thanks, Jake." She whispered, looking at me with concern. I glared at her.

"Did you bring Nessie?" He asked, looking at the car eagerly.

"Sorry Jake, I didn't want her to see you like this. She may already understand, but it might frighten her all the same. I've got Emmett here if there's trouble. Thanks again." She said, glancing at him. What was their problem; Friends, but not even standing near each other? I struggled as the wolves shoved me out of the forest, and Emmett made his move. I found once again I was restrained, and I groaned. Why were they so desperate to capture me? I hissed and growled, and the wolves retreated, ready to jump in if necessary. I spat at them. Why didn't they see I just wanted to run? I knew it was useless, but I still struggled. Emmett shoved me into the car, ignoring my menacing hisses. Once they were both in the car, I gave up. Where were they taking me? I decided if they were taking me back home – I mean back to their prison, and then I would run for it. Surprisingly, the car headed away from their prison. I gave Bella a puzzled look as Emmett kept driving away. I didn't want Emmett to hear my fear, so I spoke to Bella silently. _What the hell happened there?! _ I demanded.

"You crossed the line, Anne. We have a treaty. We forgot to tell you about that, since we break it most of the time." She whispered.

_You _forgot _to tell me about it?! FORGOT?! _I screamed at her. She flinched, like I was making her ears bleed. I wished that was the case.

"You were so locked up when you came with us; we didn't want to scare you more. We thought as long as you were with us, you would be safe. It turns out none of us thought to tell you when you left. We are truly sorry." She said earnestly. I glared at her.

"I just got almost mashed to pieces by some werewolves, and you're saying _sorry?!_" I screamed at her. "And anyway, why didn't they rip me to pieces when they had the chance?!"

"The alpha, Jake...Jacob, was a friend, a very good friend. It was...for old time's sake, I guess." She looked away. I glared at her, but curiousness was taking over my mad mood.

"You said friends...Werewolves and vampires..._friends?!" _I finally managed to splutter. She looked back at me, her eyes misted over, like she was remembering something from long ago. I stared back at her, waiting for my answer.

"Yes. We have made truces on occasions. The Quileute wolves have been very understanding at times..." She trailed off. Then she said in a much more soothing tone;

"I know there's no excuse for not telling you about our treaty, but we're taking you home safely. We didn't mean for it to come to this. William almost had a heart attack when he heard what happened. That's not the easiest thing to do to a vampire." She grinned. "We wanted to give you a gift for the future. Whatever happens, we'll be there." She said in a softer voice, handing me a dark blue silk box. I stared at it like an idiot. Emmett cleared his throat, chuckling.

"Which way do we go from here, Anne? Right or left?" He asked, staring at me through a mirror.

"Right, then keep going until you find a row of lilies and then turn right again." I whispered, leaving out the detail that all of the lilies were dead or wilting. I was absorbed by the box. I carefully lifted the lid, and it revealed a bracelet. It was made of tiny diamonds with silver edges, and in rubies the word "Cullens" Was on it. I stared at it for a long time, and then looked back at Bella.

"It matches your eyes, Alice told us." She grinned. It was silent for a long time, and then I threw my arms around her.

"Thank you." I choked out the words. She rubbed my back, a smile in her voice.

"You're very welcome. Take care of yourself for me, Anne. We won't hesitate to help you when you need it. Good luck." She hugged me and then opened the door for me. I stepped out, and took in my surroundings. I was home.


	7. Chapter 7

_This part is in Bella's POV. I hope that you all appreciate the wait was not as long this time, and really enjoy this chapter. I'm really nervous about trying to write as Bella, hope it works out._

_As always, I love you all :) _

**Bella's story**

Chapter seven

Denial

I shivered as he touched my face. I knew there was a good chance this was the last time he would, and I couldn't help thinking about that. It was all her fault...

As we drove Anne back to her coven, I couldn't help thinking about what she was thinking. Most of the time when I was around her she shared her thoughts with me, but this time she planned what she was going to say. I didn't get any extra information, and it worried me. We were pretty good friends now, or that's what I had thought. She had just decided to leave now. I knew that it was about Edward, and I felt so much guilt for it. I had been sharper than I should have been about the matter, and she wasn't used to that. I tried to be as kind as I could, but I couldn't help it. I sighed as she asked me more questions.

_What the HELL happened there?! _ She almost yelled at me, and I decided to take the gentle approach to calm her down.

"You crossed the treaty line, Anne. We have a treaty. We forgot to tell you about that, since we break it most of the time." I told her softly. I thought about all those times we had worked out with Sam or Jake about breaking the treaty for emergencies, but I didn't think Jake would forgive me for this. He wouldn't let it go anytime soon. I sighed silently at facing that.

_You forgot to tell me about it?! Forgot?! _ She bellowed at me, so loud it hurt my head again. I hated it when she did this. I steadied myself, and tried to keep myself calm.

"You were so locked up when you came with us; we didn't want to scare you more. We thought as long as you were with us, you would be safe. It turns out none of us thought to tell you when you left. We are truly sorry." I said quietly. She glared darkly at me. I felt a little nervous. I wished Edward was here, but it was better for him not to be. I knew how he tortured himself for hurting her, and I knew about this sort of thing. I would understand whatever choice he made. And it looked like he was just going to stay away before it got any worse. That was wise. I wish that had happened to me and Jake. He seemed very angry on the phone. I hope they hadn't hurt her; I knew that she wouldn't say even if they had.

"I just got almost mashed to pieces by some _werewolves_, and you're saying _sorry?!_" She screamed at me again. I sighed.

"Yes. I know it doesn't make a difference, but we're taking you home safely. We didn't mean for it to come to this. William almost had a heart attack when he heard what happened. That's not the easiest thing to do to a vampire." I smiled at her. "We wanted to give you a gift for the future. Whatever happens, we'll be there." I said gently, handing her the box we had all worked for, which inside contained a diamond bracelet with the word _Cullens_ on it. Just so she wouldn't forget us, and she knew who to turn to in a time of need. She looked at it for a long time, probably deciding whether to throw it out of the window or to open it. I smiled encouragingly.

"Which way do we go from here, Anne? Right or left?" Emmett asked after a while.

"Right, then keep going until you find a row of lilies and then turn right again." She said, softly for the first time since we got in the car. She opened the box and she gasped. As she examined the bracelet, I saw an expression of sadness cross over her face. What was she thinking? I knew how Edward felt now. It was frustrating.

"It matches your eyes, Alice told us." I smiled at her humorously, trying to lighten the atmosphere. I could have used a little help from Emmett, but he remained silent. She was silent for a long time, admiring it. Then she looked at me, and hugged me fiercely.

"Thank you." She said weakly, and I rubbed her back. This was hard for her, I knew it.

"You're very welcome. Take care of yourself for me, Anne. We won't hesitate to help you when you need it. Good luck." I told her, smiling. I hugged her tightly, and then opened the car door. I watched her get out, and stare at the world around her. Then she gasped as she realised where she was. I grabbed her bags, and gave them to her. It was all silent, Emmett waiting for her to go. She gave me one last hug, and then ran to her shelter. She told me one last thing.

_Thank you. Thank you for understanding, thank you for supporting me. I love you all._

I sighed again, and climbed in the car next to Emmett. Now, more softly, I heard my own voice in my head. _Watch your back. I will get you..._ I frowned. I wasn't thinking about self-preservation. Emmett interrupted my confusion.

"Well, she was a handful." Emmett said, chuckling. _Now _he decides to lighten up... rotten timing.

"Yes, but it was worth it. I just wish we could help her more." I sighed, and it felt like my whole life sighed with me.

"You did all you could. Wrestling match when we get back; best of ten?" He grinned at me. He still loved the fact that I was weaker now; probably seeing what I was willing to bet. I rolled my eyes.

"No thanks, I'll pass just this once." I said sarcastically as he grinned at me mischievously.

"I'm sure Edward won't mind just one match." He said, laughing.

"Who said I wanted to see Edward?" I said curtly, raising an eyebrow.

"You practically yelled it at me." He chuckled. I glared at him, and he didn't say anything else. When the car stopped, I opened the door and ran into the house.

"Told you so, I don't need to read your mind to hear what you're thinking." He laughed as I checked to see if Edward was there.

"You know, Em, _told you so _has a brother. He's called _shut the hell up_."I snapped, looking at Edward. I saw him holding Renesmee's hand, smiling at her. He looked up when I walked towards him.

"Welcome back, love." He said, and hugged me. I nestled into his chest, exhaling with content. Renesmee tugged at my arm.

"Momma," She complained, reaching up waiting for me to pick her up. She was the average height of a six year old at age two, and had the intelligence of a teenager. We were both proud of our daughter, but feared for her safety. The first thing Anne had suspected about Renesmee was that she was an immortal child. I sighed as I cradled her in my arms. I inhaled deeply – his pleasure seemed to be radiating from his skin.

"Let's take her home." He suggested, taking my hand. I looked outside, and it was darkening. I agreed, wanting to distract myself.

"Okay." My voice sounded weak and had a little edge to it, but he didn't notice. As we settled Nessie down to sleep, I thought over what Anne had said, and what I had thought as I walked away from her. Maybe I was becoming paranoid, my imagination out of control. I didn't have time to think about that while Edward murmured to himself as we settled down in our bed, trying to sort his thoughts out. I confirmed to myself that this would be another sleepless night of comforting, and put my desire to the back of my mind – I was sure Edward wanted that least right now.

It was worse the next day, when the hunger and concern showed plain on my face. "What's wrong, love? You've been acting like this since..." Edward trailed off, guessing what was wrong. I didn't want him to jump to conclusions.

"Just sad she left so early when we could have helped her. She was so upset..." I was silenced when he kissed me. He was either trying to distract me, or telling me I was being silly and that I should stop worrying. I kissed him back, and then pulled away. Renesmee complained when I gripped her too tightly, trying to control myself. It was even harder when I heard his voice, rough velvet, silence her.

"Momma, put me down. You're hugging me too tight." She squirmed.

"Do you want anything, Nessie?" He asked. He took deep breaths to control his breathing, and closed his eyes. When he opened them, they were already returned to a butterscotch colour. It had seemed like years before my eyes even changed a tiny bit of colour from that horrifying red, but now mine were like his.

"No thank you, Daddy." She replied, and skipped away to find Rosalie. As soon as she let me go, Edward pulled me closer, whispering in my ear.

"We did all we could. We can't save everyone. One of them is actually still here relying on us. We have to concentrate on him now." He was trying to keep the conversation going, but when he kissed me the hunger was so intense I didn't reply. When Alice bounced in and complained that her clothes would be wasted, probably trying to get me to take them, Edward completely ignored her.

"Bella, will you take the clothes I so carefully arranged, for sake of my sanity?" She asked sharply, tugging on my arm. Edward stared at her coldly.

"Go away, Alice." He growled, and kissed me before I could say anything more. She snorted and whipped me away, dragging me to her room. On the floor were two suitcases full of silk clothes. I took deep breaths to keep myself from running back, but I didn't have to bother. Before I could even take a breath, Alice was keeping me from Edward, and Edward was trying to snatch me back. I frowned. I hated being fought over like a doll.

"Alice, don't make me hurt you." He growled menacingly.

"Don't I get a say in this?" I said in a quiet singing voice. Alice glared at me, and Edward's face softened at my voice, though his eyes were still charcoal black.

"Of course, love." He said, stepping towards me. I dealt with this nearly every day. Tossed back and forth like a doll, Edward wanting me all the time, and when I was otherwise busy he defended me, desire and need controlling his actions and thoughts.

"Alice, take the clothes over to our house later. Let me go, please." I said, afraid to make her angry. She grimaced and growled, not at me, but at Edward.

"One of these days, she's going to want a life, and when she does –" She started.

"Don't start that again, Alice. Edward is my life. Thank you very much for interrupting it." I muttered, and Alice turned to shut the suitcases. As soon as she let me go, Edward grabbed me. I was only too willing to let him carry me to our house. I had spent the whole of last night trying to calm Edward down because he was in a state over Anne, and he deeply regretted that now. _We_ deeply regretted that now. Nevertheless, at least Alice didn't make me try anything on. She would be disappointed if we had torn her precious new clothes to pieces in less than five minutes. I spent half a second to look at which clothes I was wearing, just in case, but I found it very hard to look away from Edward's face. He saw my torn expression, and become worried. Like usual.

"What's wrong?" he whispered, stroking my cheek.

"Wondering what clothes I am wearing now. I can't look away from you." I admitted, kissing him again. This silenced him, and I pulled away to let him speak.

"Does it really matter?" He asked, perplexed.

"Um, what would Alice do if I destroyed one of her favourite outfits?" I whispered, grinning. He rolled his eyes.

"Nothing; I wouldn't let her. You know better than that." He said, kissing me again. But I hated to think of what Alice would look like, making me guilty.

"Would it hurt you so much if we decided to take an extra second apart?" I asked, laughing. I still couldn't get used to my perfect singing voice, like I was stuck on a record. He sat up, and looked at me carefully. Probably thinking I was distracting him.

"Yes, it would." The corners of his mouth turned down, and I worried. If it wasn't so heartbreaking at the time, it would have been funny. Would it really matter if it was one of Alice's favourites after all? "I can't believe I spent the last few nights apart from you just wallowing in my own self pity, when –"

I didn't let him finish. He was blaming himself, just like always. I hated to see him like this, when I knew it wasn't his fault that Anne was in trouble. He pulled away after a few minutes, and now I knew how he felt when Alice ripped me from him. It felt like letting a starved child eat only half a slice of bread, and then taunting it with the rest. It wasn't the best explanation, but it felt like that.

"I'm sorry, Bella love," He said grimly. I frowned at him. I thought he was past all of this. Anne was gone, so he had nothing more to worry about.

"Listen, Edward, you can't keep going on like this. It's completely and utterly _not _your fault. You can't keep blaming yourself, and if anyone get's the blame, it's m –" He was glaring at me, and I couldn't say any more because my lips were suddenly very busy. I knew this conversation would not be left half-finished, but I was certain to keep it away as long as I could.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter eight

Responsibilities

"Renesmee," Edward reminded me when it grew light. What time was it? I didn't care. I kissed him so he couldn't say anything else. I could see him trying to push me away, but he didn't want to let go any more than I did. I was glad that was the case, even if it was irresponsible.

The sun was shining today, light pouring in through the windows.

"I would say sorry, but I don't think I can." I admitted, letting him go.

"Don't blame yourself. I wouldn't have let go anyway." He smiled at me, and then sat up. He sighed. "I wonder how much trouble we are going to be in when we get back." He said, grinning.

"Not much. They all love babysitting Renesmee." I said, tracing his face lightly with my fingers.

"That won't be the point." He whispered, sitting me up with him. "It's irresponsible to leave Nessie like that. You know that. And it's not fair on them to stop doing what they want because of _our _daughter." He added, getting dressed. I sighed, hopping up, to choose a suitable outfit for the day.

"I know you're right. Somehow, I don't think I will stop being bad anytime soon." I smiled at him, and he chuckled. The sound make my eyes sparkle.

He was grinning at me. When I got relaxed, or was concentrating on happy things, it was so easy to let my shield fly away I didn't notice. When I was nervous, angry, tense, my shield snapped into place, and would be impossible to budge. I sighed.

"I honestly don't know why I was worried about Anne. I was probably trying to distract myself." I frowned slightly.

"Distract yourself from what?" His face locked into a picture of concern immediately, and he took my hand.

"I can't remember, probably an over-reaction to something." I grinned, trying to pass it off. His expression didn't change.

"Hmm," Was all he murmured in response as I skipped over to him, smiling.

"Decent?" I asked him, inspecting him as he looked at me. He looked so gorgeous, wearing dark jeans and a white shirt, the buttons left undone.

"You're always beautiful." He said, kissing me. I pulled back.

"Must I always be the responsible one?" I imitated him, grinning.

"No, let me be the one in charge of responsibility for a few minutes...or hours." He replied, laughing. We both sighed after a while.

"Nessie...?" I asked him.

"Nessie," He said, carrying me out of the house.

"It really was no bother at all. She just told us to strangle you both," Jasper said, grinning. "Blame Edward, I'm sure he won't mind."

"Did you finally destroy the cottage?" Emmett roared with laughter. I glared at him. Edward held my waist tightly, and turned to look at Rosalie who was standing beside Emmett.

"You do realise, only a few years ago, you lost our bet to –" I started to growl.

"Where is she?" He asked his velvet voice strained with fighting to stay quiet. I looked at Jasper, and he chuckled as a mask of calm spread over us.

"Over here." She said softly. She stared at Nessie with a wistful expression on her face. She was curled up on a settee, sleeping silently. We all stared at her beautiful face, so peaceful when she was sleeping.

"Is she dreaming?" I asked in my singing voice, light and quiet. I was scared to touch her, afraid to wake her peaceful sleeping.

"When she wakes up we need to be prepared for her wrath." He whispered, chuckling gently.

"Really...?" Rosalie smiled, probably imagining it herself.

"Yes. It wouldn't take much for her to take us down." He said, smiling at me. I felt sudden warmth in my dead heart, like I was whole. It was like that whenever he said us, we, our, etc. I didn't believe he wanted me like he said he did, but I wanted him too much to care. At least I was beautiful, strong, and nearly as perfect as him. Even his perfection was perfect. I lifted Renesmee into my arms and said some more thankyous to everyone. She was so peaceful when she dreamed; her thoughts flowed out to anyone close, like mine flowed out to Edward when I relaxed. I ignored Emmett as he said some joke on our way out. We ran back home, and I carefully laid her down onto her magnificent white bed. We left her to dream, and sat down on the sofa, snuggled against each other. We stayed silent, and I let his sweet breath blow against my face, inhaling its gorgeous scent. Something was on his mind, and I knew it.

The next morning, when Renesmee woke up, she forgot about scolding us. She knew something was on Edward's mind, too. When she asked him, he said it was nothing. All day I sat with Edward, not moving from his side. Every few minutes or so he would pull me closer, and kiss me – either on my neck or lips, then let me go, and I was as unwilling to let go as he was. The next day, he didn't let me go – everywhere I was in his arms, and I didn't argue. I knew he was bracing himself, framing it in his mind of how to tell me what he was concerned about. When we settled down for the night, Nessie in her bed, I wasn't in a hurry for anything. It was silent in the house, just listening to Renesmee breathing while she slept. I didn't want to force him to tell me anything, so I waited for him to speak. A couple of hours passed. A million questions came up, and a million times they flowed to my lips, but I bit them back. I had to let Edward do this his way. Finally his cell phone rang, and he had to break our embrace, reaching for it in his pocket.

"Yes Alice?" He asked; his voice was a little quieter and hoarse from staying silent for so long – or so I thought that was the reason. I heard a bubble of urgency from the other line. Edward frowned; I wrapped my arms around him, getting worried. Could it be the Volturi; Had Jake gone back to take revenge on Anne? I ignored the voice on the other line. I wanted Edward to explain this to me, so I deliberately took nothing in when I heard what she said.

"Yes. No, I will pass it on, whatever it is." He sounded strained, like it took all of his effort to speak. I hugged him tighter. What was wrong?

"No. What's wrong?" He was only responding to Alice's tone of voice – it couldn't be that bad, she was probably overreacting about something. I relaxed a little, letting the thought comfort me. It didn't last long.

"No, Alice. Stay there." He whispered, and his voice broke.

He switched his phone off, and put his head in his hands, running one of his hands through his beautiful hair. He stopped breathing, just staring at the floor. I traced his hand with my fingers, but he withdrew it, his hands now clasped together between his legs, leaning down to the floor, head down. I waited for him to speak again. He didn't, so I finally had to ask him. I held his hand, my insides screaming in agony as I looked into his pained eyes. He held my hand very tightly, but it wasn't even uncomfortable. The pain in my chest would have covered any other pain in the world.

"Edward?" I whispered softly, my voice almost broken like his.

"Yes love?" He whispered back, not looking away from my eyes.

"What did Alice say?" I asked, looking away. He hugged me, pulling me closer to him. I didn't know if that was a good or bad sign. He kissed me, tension burning in his lips. Then he looked at me, and whispered very quietly.

"She wanted me to pass the phone over to you...but we have no secrets. She argued for a while, and then decided to tell me. She wanted to warn you..." He was losing it. I held him tightly, kissing him, trying to soothe his fear, his tension.

"Whatever it is, I can handle it. You promised you wouldn't keep anything from me." I whispered, and somehow he tensed even more. His whole body was rock, but somehow still soft and warm. I waited for his answer in silence; it was torturing.

"Bella love...its Anne. Alice saw me being led away, going with her, standing by her...lov- away from you," He paused, and I knew the word he had stopping himself from saying was _love. _Could he have meant _loving her?_ I looked into his agonised eyes again, and I knew he was telling the truth. "I'm petrified of myself, Bella – petrified of the future." How could this have happened? I felt mild fury at Anne, but I couldn't keep it up. I felt numb, knowing the fact that he might be leaving me again. I hoped that Alice was wrong, or that Anne would change her mind. I remembered the long six months we had spent apart when I was human. I felt the pain, the agony started to burn back in my chest. It was soldered into my mind for the length of my existence. I wrapped my arms around myself, a reflex action. I could barely breathe properly when we hunted away from each other so that one of us could look after Renesmee, the thought of him standing by Anne, away from me, sent shivers down my spine. He squeezed my arms, concerned. I couldn't stop shivering, thinking about the painful memories.

"I'm sorry." He whispered in my ear, and he kissed me. This kiss made me shiver two times worse; it was full of guilt, misery and torture. He was blaming himself, yet he continued to kiss me. Shivers violently shook me, it was like I was sobbing, yet I wasn't. He stopped, looking at me. His eyes were full of concern, pain and anxiety. I felt burns wherever he had kissed me, and my breath came in gasps. He didn't stop. My face, my neck and my lips burned like fire. It was like the painful three day transformation, but worse, somehow. I was shivering violently.

"Bella, are you alright...Bella love?" Pain was thick in his voice, too. I ripped myself from him, and sat on our huge white bed. I became rock. I knew I was overreacting. Edward didn't think so. He followed me, and he looked even worse now I had run away from him. "I'll find some way around this. I won't let myself hurt you. I can't bear this." He sat carefully beside me, and took one of my hands. I kept it in place, not letting him break it free from my chest.

"I'm sorry," He whispered again in my ear. "I love you. No matter what happens; I love you." He reminded me, and then I heard him walk into Nessie's room. I heard him sit down slowly; then he wrapped his arms around his graceful legs and fell down to the floor. My breathing stopped altogether; I had hurt him. Human memories filled my mind, and I held myself tighter. The last time he kissed my forehead before he left me, his frozen eyes. The way I had fell down and laid there for hours, and Charlie had carried me home. I panicked. Charlie! What would I tell him when he came over to see Renesmee, and he found me single-handedly looking after her, as depressed as I was the last time he left me? The shivers came back at the thought. Edward caught his breath as he heard my squeak of panic; What if he took Nessie, too? I thought about all the possibilities while Edward lay in the other room, listening for me, no doubt using all his effort not to run to me. Tremors shook me violently as I remembered the way he had kissed me when I froze, the way he looked at me when it all sunk in. I knew it was early, and that Anne could change her mind, but Alice would have called if anything had changed. I wondered what the Cullen family would think of me if Edward left me forever – I shook again – would they still care for me, or was it all for Edward's sake? Even if Alice was like a sister to me, was that all a show, too? It was growing light outside, and it changed my mood abruptly. I remembered last time he had left me; a shock, so painful and quick. The after-effects last forever, burned into my mind. This time, I had a warning, time to prepare myself, time to make the best of what I had while I had it. Why had I wasted long hours worrying about what _would_ happen, when it did? I sat up, and realised I had kept my arms wound around me all night. My arms weren't stiff or cramped, they were locked in place. It took all of my will power to unlock them slowly, relaxing my muscles one by one. I was sure Edward heard me, and his breathing sped. I decided to do everything sensibly; I got changed, brushed my shiny hair, calmed myself with deep breaths and mopped my face up the best I could. Then I ran into the other room softly, placing every step carefully. It was exactly how I had heard it last night; He was lying on the floor, his pale face now pure white and his arms were wrapped around his legs, locked into place like my arms were. Renesmee was growing restless, a sign that she was waking up. I stared at Edward for a long time, and finally he stood up and held me in his arms all in one second. I hugged him fiercely; there were no words to speak. I buried my face in his chest, inhaling his sweet scent. I had been away from him so long; it felt like years. If leaving him in a room not a mile away from I was so hard, what it was going to be like when – I was going to have to shut the doors on my misery. I had to make the most of what time I had left with him. I could feel he was still blaming himself by the way he tensed when I kissed him, and it almost made me scream. It was complete and utter agony seeing him like this. I would have taken one hundred days of merciless pain rather than see him like this...taken it and been immensely grateful. He turned away; Renesmee had woken up. We carried her to Esme – we both knew she would take care of her while we tried to understand all of this. I found myself gasping as I took her into my arms. How long did I have with her? Edward held my hand, and I was scared of how much time I had with him, too. I was torn. I carried her all the way to Esme, not taking one breath. I'm not sure how much control I had over any part of me, but I didn't want to take any risks. I had to be sensible; I still had responsibilities. I took a deep breath automatically to steady myself before walking into the house; my lungs didn't even slightly warm up with thirst. It felt dry – not the thirsty way, the vampire way. It felt dry with nerves, with unshed tears, the human way. Edward probably sensed it when I suddenly tensed; his hand squeezed mine. I took deep breaths, calming myself. This was it; I would take Renesmee to Esme, and leave her. That was the best care I could give her. I leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"I love you." I whispered to her. Edward cringed. "I love you too, momma."


End file.
